Mail theft has become a very costly problem for the government and the public. This problem has become a great concern for the U.S. Post Office as well as private individuals. Those that receive their income and/or medications through the mail are the most susceptible to mail theft.
Various alarm systems have been used in combination with a mailbox. However, these systems are generally too cumbersome or too costly to be commercialized with any success. Additionally, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy to use, relatively low cost alarm system for a mailbox as a deterrent to mail theft. Another object is to have the alarm system be activated by a microcontroller controlled circuit board that includes a timer to allow the user and mail person to access the mailbox without triggering the alarm, but to arm the system once mail is delivered. Another object is to have a programed low power ("sleep") mode to reduce wear on the power source.